Wall of building-blocks.



04s] PAT'ENTED SEPT. 24, 1907,:

F. v. M. HUDSON.

' WALL OF BUILDING BLOCKS.

APPLICATION nun FEB. s. 1000. 2 Bunyan 1.

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No. 867,043. PATBNTED'SEPT. 24, 1907.

. F. v. M. HUDSON.

WALL OF BUILDING BLOCKS.

urmouron FILED mm. 1906.

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1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALL OF BUILDING-BLOCKS.

Specification" of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1907.

Application filed February 8,1906. Serial No. 300,056.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS V. M. HUDSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at 171 Linden avenue, Brooklyn, county of Kings, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWalls of Building-Blocks, fully described and represented in thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthe same.

The present invention provides means to utilize U- shaped blocks in anovel manner inthe building of walls to form continuous vertical airspaces or flues, and to secure the effective bonding not only ofdifferent courses, but of adjacent rows of blocks in the same course.

The term IL-block is, for convenience, applied herein to a block formedof a tie-bar with end-projections or legs at right angles to the same;the length of such legs, in relation to the tie-bar, being varied to anyextent that is desirable, in the construction. The tiebars and legs formflanges of uniform depth which are set vertically in the courses.

The fundamental feature of the invention is the arrangement of theU-blocks in rows with their alternate ends opposed so as to form acontinuous zigzag design resembling a so-called Grecian border, withcontinuous vertical air spaces or fiues within the wall. A Wall may beformed of the blocks thus arranged in a single row, or a double ortriple row, and the junction of the rows at the corner of a wallrequires some special filling-pieces, as hereinafter described. Suchdisposition of the blocks leaves interspaces between the ends of theblocks at both sides of the wall, and these gaps are closed byfilling-blocks. which are preferably made of T-shape with a central webextended across the row nearly to the tie-bar of the opposed U- block.Such central web upon the T-block not only forms a bond between theopposed sides of the row,

but supports the end legs of the U-blocks in a superposed course.

The vertical flanges of the blocks in the several courses are overlappedupon one another so as to break joints between the courses, and in thecorner of a wall such overlapping leaves a space onehalf the breadth ofa block, which may be conveniently filled by an anglepiece, made withvertical flanges to form air spaces or other shapes.

Slight differences in the shape of the U-blocks may be made withoutdeparting from the invention, and such modifications are illustrated inthe annexed drawing, in which Figure 1 illustrates the zigzagarrangement of the U- blocks; Fig. 2 illustrates the filling of the gapsin opposite sides of the row by T-blocks, and shows a corner of onecourse; Fig. 3 shows a modification of the U- blocks in which the legson the same block are of different lengths; Fig. 4 shows a modificationof the U- blocks with a tongue at the center of the tie-bar opposed tothe web on the T-block; Figs. 5 and 6 show methods of indenting theouter corners of the U-blocks to equalize the exposed surfaces of thetie-bars and T- blocks; Fig. 7 shows U-blocks with lugs at the ends toform a greater contrast with the breadth of the heads upon the T-blocks;Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the U-blocks shown in Fig. 1;Figs. 9 and 10 are plans of two contiguous courses in a two-row wall,showing the disposition of the blocks to break joints in the courses;and Fig. 11 is a cross section on line 1111. in Fig. 7, showing anangular joint between the legs of the opposed U-blocks, and a bondinserted in such joint.

In Fig. 1, a designates the tie-bar of each U-block, and b the legs, thealternate ends or legs of the block being opposed in the rows; that is,the right-hand leg of each block is opposed to the left-hand leg of theblock on the opposite side of the row. Such arrangement when viewed inplan shows the zigzag design, in which spaces or gaps c are producedbetween the end of the U-blocks. Fig. 2 shows these gaps upon the faceof the row filled by the heads (1 of T-blocks having each the web (1extended across the middle of the gap nearly to the tie-bar of theopposed U-block. The heads, T-bars, webs and legs are all disposedvertically in the wall so that their interspaces form vertical air fiuesor passages for the circulation of air. An angle or L-shaped piece f isshown at the end of the row, which in one course is adapted to supportthe end or corner of the U- block in a superposed course. Thearrangement of the blocks in such superposed course is shown in Fig. 4,the corner in such case being formed by the UrblOCk itself, but a spaceoccurring on one side of the corner,

I which requires an L or angle-block g to fill it, in order to connectwith the U-block of the adjacent row,

The disposition of the blocks in the two courses shown in Figs. 2 and 4,bring the joints of the U-blocks in one course over the webs of theT-blocks in the course below, and all parts of the blocks are thereforesupported in the several courses, leaving continuous vertical air-spaces1', shown in the several figures.

In Fig. 3, the legs b of the U-blocks are shown of unequal length, whichprevents a line of joints along the middle of the row, which wouldweaken the wallstructure under strain. The tie-bars a of the U-blocksare shown in Fig. 4 formed with tongues h projected toward the webs ofthe T-blocks, which are correspondinglyshortened.

With the alternate ends of the U-blocks opposed, the spaces or gaps care necessarily less than the length of the tie-bars a of the blocks,and to equalize the width of the heads of the T-blocks, and the tie-barsof the U- blocks, the corners of the U-blocks may be notched with arectangular recess, as shown in Fig. 5, or with a bevel, as shown inFig. 6, thus making all the vertical joints upon the wall at the samedistance apart.

To form a different aspect of the joints upon the wall,

lugs Z may be projected from the corners of the U- blocks (that is, theends of the tie-bars a) as shown in Fig. 7, thus contracting the gapsand making the heads d of the T-blocks only one-half as wide as theexposed surface of the tie-bar. i Figs. 9 and 10 show a Wall made of tworows of the opposed U-blocks, the gaps between the blocks being set inline with one another in each course, and the space in such gaps withinthe wall provided with filling-blocks having webs e which are adapted tosupport the legs I) of the U-blocks in the superposed course.

Figs. 9 and 10 show two contiguous courses adapted one to set over theother; the U-blocks themselves forming the corner in Fig. 9, and theU-blocks in Fig. 10 falling short of the corner, as in Fig. 2, and thecorner filled out by a special block it and T-piece m. Other blocks isand k are employed to bond the'joints together in the contiguous coursesat the corner.

In practice, the Webs upon the D-blocks and the ends of the legs uponthe U-blocks would not be set in contact with the opposed projections,but a space p would be left to prevent the passage of moisture throughthe wall, as shown in Fig.' 5.. In turning corners, and in forming theinclosures for bay-windows, and in building other irregularities inhouse walls, the pieces necessary to preserve the contour may be cutfrom the U-blocks or T-pieces, and in special cases, other pieces may beprovided, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The blocks used in building adouble or triple wall may have the same modifications as those used inthe single wall. I do not confine myself to Walls of uniform thickness,but when necessary to construct chimney fines, buttresses, &c., mayincrease the length of the projections upon the blocks, and thus extendthe Wall within or without the line. In some cases, it is necessary touse angle-pieces and other special forms in order to preserve thecontour, but no claim is made to. such special pieces.

It will be seen from the above description, that the combination ofU-blocks and T-blocks is adapted to form overlapping joints in the mostadvantageous manner in contiguous courses, and to thus form a wall ofgreat strength while preserving the continuity of the vertical passagest' which provide ventilation.

The legs I) of the U-blocks may be beveled, as shown in Fig. 11, so asto break joints upon different lines at the top and bottom of eachcourse, and a bond may also be extended across the joint of the legs, asshown at j in Fig. 11, to tie the opposite blocks together.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed hereinis: I

1. In a wall, the combination in one course, of a series of U-blockshaving their alternate ends opposed, and the surface gaps filled withauxiliary blocks.

2. In a wall, the combination in one course, of a series of U-blockshaving their alternate ends opposed and the surface gaps of theinterspaces filled with the heads of 1- blocks, the web of each T-blockextending across the center of the interspaces.

3. In a wall, the combination in one course, of a series of U-blockshaving their alternate ends opposed, and each provided with a projectionupon its inner side, and the surface gaps filled with the heads ofDblocks, and with their webs extended nearly across the centers of thegaps.

4. In a wall, the combination, with a course containing a series ofU-blocks having their tie-bars upon the face of the wall and theiralternate ends opposed and the end legs of the U-blocks of unequallength, of a superposed course having similar U blocks with theirfie-bars upon the face of the wall and their legs arranged to breakjoints with the corresponding legs in the contiguous course, and fillingblocks of T-shape having their heads inserted in the spaces between thetie-bars in the respective courses, and their webs extending nearlyacross the centers of the gaps between the legs.

5. In a wall, the combination in one course, of a series of U-blockshaving their alternate ends opposed and the surface gaps filled with theheads of T-bloeks, the web of each T-block extending toward the tie-barof the opposed U-block, and the outer corners of the legs being indentedand the heads of the T-blocks fitted thereto, to equalize the exposedsurfaces of the tie'hars and heads.

6. In a wall, the combination, with a course. including a corner,containing a series of U-blOckS having their allernate ends opposed andforming a zigzag design with surface gaps between the ends of theII-blocks, of a super posed course having similar U-bloeks overlapped tobreak joints upon the course below, and ll-blocks having their headsfitted to the surface gaps and their legs extended into the spacebetween the ends of the Ublocks, and angle-blocks filling the space atthe corner caused by such overlapping, substantially as set forth.

7. In a wall, the combination in one course, of a series of U-blockshaving their alternate ends opposed, and the surface gaps filled withthe heads of T-blocks, and the end legs of the U-blocks being beveled tobreak joinls al' different lines at the top and bottom of the course.

8. In a wall, the combination in one course, of a series of U-blockshaving their alternate ends opposed, and the surface gaps filled withthe heads of JP-blocks, and the end legs of the U-blocks being beveledto break joinis at different lines at the top and bottom of the course,and a bond extended across such beveled joint to tie the opposed blockstogether.

9. In a wall, the combination in one course, of two rows of U-blockshaving their extreme ends opposed, wiih the openings of the legsadjacent to one another within the wall, and filling blocks inserted insuch openings.

10. In a wall, the combination in one course, of two rows of II-blockshaving their extreme ends opposed, with the openings of the legsadjacent to one .another within the wall, and filling blocks inserted insuch openings, and having webs intermediate to the legs of the U'blocks,to sup port such legs in a continuous course.

11. In a wall, the combination, with one course including a corner, andtwo rows of Ublocks with their extreme ends opposed, and the openings oftheir legs adjacent to one another with filling blocks in such openings.of a superposed course with the blocks of the rows overlapped to breakjoints upon the course below, and filling blocks inserted in the spaceat the corner caused by such overlapping.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS M. lll'llSON.

Witnesses L. LEE, THOMAS S. CRANE.

